To offer delivery services in Bulgaria, you publish a clear listing on a classifieds platform, describe what you move and how, show real photos or references, give a written price range, and confirm each job in a short agreement before you load anything. The work is straightforward. The risk sits in vague quotes and handshake deals, and both are easy to remove.
Most people who start this in Sofia, Plovdiv or Varna already own a van or a small truck. What they lack is a system: a listing that filters out time wasters, a quote format that survives contact with a real staircase, and paperwork that holds up if a client refuses to pay. Bulgarian clients are used to hiring movers by phone, often the same day. That habit works in your favour if your listing answers the questions they would otherwise ask on the call.
This guide covers the whole path: how to write the service description, how to price it, how to answer requests without burning hours, how to protect yourself with a simple written agreement, and how reviews turn into repeat work. Everything here applies whether you drive alone or run two crews.
- Write the listing around what you move, your vehicle, your coverage area and your hourly or per-job rate.
- Quote in writing, with a range and the conditions that change it.
- Confirm every job with a one-page agreement: date, addresses, volume, price, payment terms.
- Ask for reviews after each finished job. A visible history on your profile does more than any ad text.
What should a delivery services listing in Bulgaria contain?
A working listing answers four questions before the client messages you: what you carry, where you go, what it costs, and how fast you can arrive. Skip any of them and you get calls that end in "thanks, I will think about it".
Start with the vehicle. A 3.5 tonne van with a tail lift handles different work than a 1.2 tonne car-derived van, and clients in Bulgaria know the difference because they have watched a fridge get stuck in a stairwell. State the load volume in cubic metres and the maximum weight. If you carry a hand truck, straps, blankets and a furniture dolly, say so. That single line removes half the back and forth.
Describe the service in plain terms
Write the description the way you would explain the job to a neighbour. "I move furniture, appliances and household goods in Sofia and up to 60 km around the ring road. Two people, one van, loading and unloading included. Assembly of simple furniture on request." That is a complete offer. It names the city, the radius, the crew size and what is included.
Add the limits. No hazardous materials, no live animals, no items over 200 kg without a prior look. Limits are not a weakness. They stop the wrong job before it starts.
Show photos and references that mean something
Three or four photos are enough: the van from the side with the doors open, the interior with straps and blankets in place, one shot of a wrapped sofa or washing machine ready to move. Avoid stock images. Bulgarian buyers recognise them instantly and read them as a warning sign.
References work better as short, specific lines. "Moved a two-room flat from Lozenets to Mladost, third floor without a lift, four hours." Include the district names. A client in Varna reading about a job in Briz will trust it more than a generic five-star claim.
How do you price delivery and removals work in Bulgaria?
Price on the two models Bulgarian clients already understand: an hourly rate with a minimum, or a fixed price per job. Hourly suits short moves and single-item deliveries. Fixed price suits full flat moves where the client wants certainty.
For hourly work, quote per vehicle plus crew, and set a minimum of two hours. Travel time to the pickup point is usually charged or folded into the minimum. For fixed jobs, visit or ask for a video walkthrough before you commit to a number. A fifth-floor flat in Sofia's Hadzhi Dimitar without a lift is not the same job as a ground-floor house in Boyana, even with identical furniture.
Always quote a range, not a single figure, and write down what moves the price: stairs without a lift, items over 100 kg, parking restrictions in the centre, waiting time over 20 minutes. Clients accept a range far more easily than a final invoice that grew.
What goes into the estimate
Build the estimate from parts the client can check. Labour hours, vehicle, distance, packing materials if you supply them, and any surcharge for stairs or heavy items. Send it as a short message or a one-page PDF, not a voice note. Written estimates get compared, and the clear one usually wins.
Give the estimate a validity period, seven days is normal, and state the payment method. Cash on completion is the standard in most Bulgarian cities. Bank transfer suits companies that need an invoice. Say which you accept before the job, not after.
If you want to see how other providers in your city position their rates, post a listing and compare the wording of their offers against yours. Price gaps in the same city usually come from what is included, not from the rate itself.
Private listing, company or subcontracting?
Each route has a different cost, a different legal footprint and a different ceiling. Pick the one that matches how much work you can actually handle this year.
| Model | Best for | Main advantage | Main constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private listing | One driver with one van, occasional jobs | Fast to start, low overhead | Limited trust signals, no VAT invoice, income ceiling |
| Registered company | Steady weekly work, business clients | Invoices, insurance options, subcontracting | Registration, accounting and tax obligations |
| Subcontracting | Established provider with overflow | More jobs without buying another van | You answer for the subcontractor's work and timing |
Private sellers dominate the small-job market in Bulgaria, and there is nothing wrong with starting there. The moment you take regular work from offices, furniture stores or property managers, they will ask for a document. That is the point to register.
Subcontracting looks attractive and carries the heaviest risk. If your name is on the deal, the client holds you responsible for a damaged wardrobe or a late arrival, regardless of who did the lifting. Vet anyone you pass work to the way you would vet an employee: vehicle, insurance, two references from previous jobs.
How do you answer requests and filter out non-serious clients?
Reply fast, then ask the four questions that decide whether the job is real: exact addresses with floor and lift, list of large items, preferred date and time window, and who is present to hand over the goods. A client who answers all four in one message is serious. One who writes "how much for a move" with no other detail usually is not.
Speed matters more than polish. In most Bulgarian cities the first provider to reply with a concrete number gets the job. Keep a short template with blanks for addresses, volume and date. Personalise the first line so it does not read as a mass message.
Red flags worth walking away from
Refusal to give an address before the price. Pressure to load without any written confirmation. Payment offered only after delivery with no deposit on a long-distance job. A request to move items with no clear owner present. Any of these is a reason to slow down, and two of them together is a reason to decline.
Deposits are normal for jobs over a few hundred leva or for intercity routes such as Sofia to Burgas. Ask for 20 to 30 percent in advance and say what happens if the client cancels within 24 hours. Written terms protect both sides.
How do you protect yourself with a simple written agreement in Bulgaria?
You do not need a lawyer for a standard move. A one-page document, signed or confirmed in writing before loading, covers most disputes. It should state the parties, the date, both addresses, the item list, the agreed price or range, the payment method, and what happens if something is damaged.
Photograph the goods before loading and after unloading. Timestamped photos on your phone settle more arguments than any clause. Note existing scratches and dents on the item list and have the client confirm.
For anything valuable, agree on a declared value in advance. Standard carrier liability in Bulgaria is limited, and clients often assume full replacement value. Writing the declared amount into the agreement prevents that misunderstanding. If you work as a registered company, ask your accountant about insurance options for goods in transit.
Keep the agreement, the photos and the message thread together for at least a year. If a complaint arrives, you will have the sequence of events in one place. The platform's own posting rules are worth reading before you publish, and they are short: /en/rules.
We see the same pattern across thousands of service listings: providers who answer within an hour, state a price range and confirm in writing get repeat clients, while vague listings collect messages that never turn into jobs.
Do reviews really build a delivery provider's profile?
Yes, and in classifieds they do more work than the listing text. A buyer choosing between two providers with similar rates reads the history first: how many completed jobs, how the provider replied, whether anyone complained about timing or damage.
Ask for a review the same day, while the client is still standing next to the empty van. A short message with a direct link works better than a general request a week later. Do not offer money or discounts for reviews. It breaks platform rules and readers notice the pattern.
Answer negative reviews in public, briefly and without excuses. Say what happened, what you changed, and stop. A provider with twenty good reviews and one handled complaint looks more reliable than one with a perfect record and no detail.
Your profile on EX & GO shows this history next to your listings, so a buyer can see how you handled previous jobs before sending the first message. Keep the same name, phone number and vehicle description across every listing. Consistency is what makes the history readable.
Checklist before you publish
Run through this list once. It takes ten minutes and saves a week of wrong enquiries.
- Vehicle described with volume, weight limit and equipment.
- Coverage area named by city and radius, with district examples.
- Rate model chosen: hourly with minimum, or fixed per job.
- Three real photos, no stock images.
- Two or three specific references with districts and job types.
- Limits stated: hazardous goods, oversized items, animals.
- Reply template ready with the four qualifying questions.
- One-page agreement drafted and saved on your phone.
- Payment methods and deposit terms written down.
- Phone number verified on the platform and listing checked against the posting rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a registered company to offer delivery services in Bulgaria?
No. You can start with a private listing and take jobs as an individual. Registration becomes necessary when clients need invoices, when you want goods-in-transit insurance, or when your income passes the threshold that requires declaring business activity. Many providers in Sofia and Plovdiv work privately for a year or more before registering. Check the current thresholds with an accountant, since they change.
How much should I charge for a move within the same city?
Most same-city jobs are quoted hourly with a two-hour minimum, covering the vehicle and one or two workers. The final figure depends on floor level, lift access, volume and parking. Get a video walkthrough before quoting a fixed price. Compare a few listings in your city to see the local range, then price on what you include rather than undercutting.
What should a simple delivery agreement include?
Names and contact details of both parties, the date and time window, pickup and delivery addresses with floor and lift, an item list, the agreed price or range, the payment method, the deposit if any, and a line on liability for damage. Both sides confirm it in writing before loading. Photograph the goods before and after. This is enough for most domestic moves.
How do I avoid clients who never confirm?
Ask four questions in your first reply: exact addresses with floor and lift, list of large items, preferred date and time window, and who will be present. Clients who answer all four are ready to book. For the rest, send one follow-up and move on. Your time is the scarcest resource in this work, and chasing maybes costs real jobs.
Can I refuse a job after seeing the items?
Yes, if you have not confirmed the booking in writing. Once you have agreed terms and started loading, refusing becomes a dispute. That is why the pre-job walkthrough or video call matters: it lets you decline before anyone commits. State your limits in the listing so the refusal rarely becomes necessary.
Where do complaints about a provider go?
First to the provider directly, in writing, with photos and the agreement. If the issue involves a listing that breaks platform rules, report it through the site's support channel. Consumer complaints in Bulgaria can also go to the Commission for Consumer Protection. Keep your own records: agreement, photos, messages and payment confirmation.
Where to start this week
Publish one listing with a clear vehicle description, a named coverage area and a rate model. Prepare the four qualifying questions and the one-page agreement before the first enquiry arrives. Take two or three small jobs, collect reviews the same day, and adjust the wording of the listing based on what clients actually ask. The providers who grow in this market are not the cheapest. They are the ones whose offer is easy to understand and whose terms hold up when something goes wrong.
If you are still comparing options or looking for work in your city, removals and delivery services and read how other providers in your region present the same service. Then write yours better.